Trump and Obama Exchange Criticisms Ahead of Midterm Congressional Elections
Trump and Obama exchanged criticisms during their campaign events in Ohio and Georgia ahead of the US midterm congressional elections.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
Chillicothe (Ohio)/Morrow (Georgia) – Reuters, AFP – Republican President Donald Trump and former Democratic President Barack Obama played prominent roles in election campaigns on Wednesday, despite neither being candidates in the elections, with less than a week remaining until the congressional elections that could shift the balance of power in the United States.
Trump has been campaigning intensively for weeks, clearly revealing Republican concerns about losing control of Congress during the final two years of his presidency, while Obama has kept his public appearances relatively limited until last week, when he delivered sharp speeches criticizing Trump.
The elections will be held next Tuesday for 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Nonpartisan analysts believe Democrats have better chances of gaining a majority in the House, while viewing the competition for Senate seats as very close.
Although Obama directed the usual Democratic criticisms of Trump over imposing tariffs and entering into a conflict with Iran, he also stated that American values are what voters will be voting on in this election, invoking the vision of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who is buried in Atlanta.
He added, “We will not be able to fix a broken system, nor will we be able to free our economy, as long as we have a culture that allows everything, and those holding the highest positions in the country believe that lying, cheating, and bullying are acceptable, and as long as we have a culture that considers money the sole measure of our worth.”
Trump’s popularity has declined to near its lowest point ever, as Americans grow increasingly frustrated with rising living costs, but he remains an influential force within the party, launching a strong campaign to boost Republican voter turnout.
Americans have been voting for weeks. According to the Florida Elections Lab, approximately 40 million votes have been cast so far. A total of 45.9 million people voted early in the last midterm elections held in 2022.
Trump addressed a rally inside a modest gymnasium at a college in Chillicothe, Ohio, accompanied by Senator John Husted of Ohio, who is running against former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
Trump attacked Senator Brown for supporting immigration policies, which the president claimed flooded Springfield, Ohio, with Haitian migrants. He added, “The city has become hell.”
Trump repeated false claims made during his 2024 presidential campaign that Haitian migrants in Springfield eat cats and dogs, allegations repeatedly denied by local officials.
Enthusiastic crowds cheered for Trump at rallies throughout the campaign, but hundreds of protesters lined the route of his motorcade in rural Chillicothe, holding signs reading “Republicans Against Trump,” “Catch them at the ballot box,” and “Republican Party: Protectors of Child Molesters.”
During the rally, protesters interrupted Trump several times, including at least one person who shouted the name of the late businessman Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sexual crimes.
Trump responded by saying, “I kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago,” referring to his private club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Protesters have interrupted Trump at nearly all of his recent campaign rallies. He typically accuses them of being paid agitators, and security personnel remove them from the venue.
In Cleveland on Saturday, Obama mocked Trump’s interior design taste, saying, “He’s made the White House look like Saddam Hussein opened a branch.” In Ohio, he added, “I think the White House is the foremost symbol of our country, and we can’t have a White House with broken windows, cracked stones that haven’t been painted in 30 years.” Democrats will need to win seats in states that traditionally lean Republican, such as Ohio, Iowa, or Alaska, to overcome the current Republican majority in the Senate, which stands at 53 to 47. The New York Times reported that aides to Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alaska, collaborated with campaign lawyers and senior staff in the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to attract two candidates listed on the ballot, who could help siphon votes away from incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Trump told reporters before departing for Ohio, “Mary Peltola should drop out of the race. I think she should be criminally prosecuted for what she did.” In Michigan, Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed are engaged in a tight race for the Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Senator Gary Peters. Both campaigns are relying on prominent allies to energize supporters and boost voter turnout.
